


Nebulous

by Anonymous



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Sex, Bestiality, Blow Jobs, D/s elements, Don't Like Don't Read, Edgeplay, Episode: s06e02 Razor's Edge, Keith might have a bit of a pointy object kink, Keith's wolf is sapient (able to use reason and logic), Knotting, Licking, M/M, Mutual Attraction, Praise Kink, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn Relationship, Spit As Lube, Telepathy, Xenophilia, smut in the second chapter, well as slow burn as you get with two long chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-08
Packaged: 2019-07-26 01:04:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16209431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: The wolf got to his feet and stepped closer, resting his great, fluffy forehead against Keith’s, and the feeling that pressed against his mind was full of affirmation.  There weren’t words, exactly, but rather he got flashes of feelings, sensations, sounds, scents, colors, light…  It was all vivid enough that words might have even been redundant.  It was a nebulous sort of communication; expansive and intangible, yet full of energy and enough gravity to be understood clearly, even without the use of words.   Keith felt the wolf’s overwhelming gratitude toward them, and desire to stay close to them to protect them as they had protected him in his time of need.  There was something else there too, a deeply-rooted sense of something like attraction, but the wolf pulled back and drew his thoughts back to himself before Keith could get a proper sense of it.(Keith and the cosmic wolf, and their relationship and how it progresses.  Please read the tags, and if it's not your cup of tea, no need to click on it, just keep scrolling)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Okay before you all flame me, the cosmic wolf in this AU is an alien being with the same level of sapience as humans, Galra, Alteans, Olkari, etc. He just happens to look like what someone from Earth would describe as a wolf. It’s really more xenophilia than it is besitality, if you look below the surface level, but the tag is there just in case. Or, I mean, if that’s your thing, you could read it that way too.
> 
> Also I wrote approximately 10K of this _just_ before s7 when everyone started calling the wolf Kosmo, and I just got attached to the name I came up with and didn’t feel like changing it. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ To be fair, the other paladins came up with that, not Keith, he said something about the wolf telling him his name when he was ready. It’s a twist on canon anyway, might as well have fun with it.

This day just kept getting more and more wild.

Keith never expected to find himself on the back of a living planet shaped like a space-whale floating through the quantum abyss with his newly-reunited-with mother.  He never expected to go to the quantum abyss at all, or even _meet_ his mother.  When the meteor flew over their heads, he didn’t expect it to crash into the ground (or… dirt-like-substance covering the whale’s back?) right in front of him.  And he definitely wasn’t expecting what he saw when the dust and glowing light cleared from the crater following the crash.

“What… what is that thing?”  Keith asked, staring wide-eyed at the creature in the smoking crater.  It looked almost canine in appearance, like a dog or a small wolf -- an otherworldly wolf with thick, midnight-blue fur broken up by teal and white markings that almost seemed to glow faintly.  It was lying on its side in the center of the crater, wisps of smoke curling around it, eyes closed. Keith wasn’t even sure if it was breathing, and he was hesitant to get much closer to it to investigate.  “Do you think the meteor hit it and killed it?” He asked Krolia beside him, not daring to take his eyes off the creature.

“No.”  Krolia frowned, sharp eyes studying the creature and the crater it lay in.  “I think it _was_ the meteor.”  

Keith turned to her in surprise.  “How is that possible? A meteor can’t be a living thing; it would burn up, or be destroyed on impact!”  

Krolia glanced at him pointedly as she pulled her gun out of her holster and stepped closer to the edge of the crater.  “You’ve traveled through wormholes, seen technology far beyond Earth’s scope, and have piloted a semi-sentient robot, and you still believe meteors are limited to mere rocks?”  

Keith thought about that, then sighed and followed her down the sloping side of the crater.  “Fair point. Still, how are you so sure that thing was the meteor?”

“I’m not positive.”  Krolia admitted, creeping closer to the creature.  “But I have heard stories about certain time and space anomalies causing the natural quintessence of things like asteroids and even small moons to be amplified, eventually even changing their form to something living, breathing, and sentient.”

“Like the Balmera?”  Keith asked, only a few steps behind her.  

“Exactly.”  Krolia nodded.  “But while a Balmera takes several centuries to gain sentience, environments like the quantum abyss can accomplish the same or even more in only a matter of…” she paused, thinking, then sighed.  “Well, it’s hard to tell how much time, here. That’s the whole problem with this place.”

Keith crouched down to look at the creature, careful to keep a safe distance.  “Do you think it’s alive?” He asked.

Krolia frowned.  “If it is, it might not be much longer.”  She said gravely.

Keith studied the motionless creature in front of him.  Trusting Krolia to step in if it woke up and attacked, he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reached out with his mind the way he had when first searching for the Red Lion.  Perhaps it was because he was part Galra, but he had noticed he seemed more attuned to quintessence than the other paladins. Excluding Allura, of course, who outstripped him by light-years in terms of quintessence sensitivity, but Keith was able to detect it if he concentrated.  He had even been able to sense from inside the Yellow Lion that a planet had been drained of quintessence and was dying, only a few wisps of life clinging to the husk.

Now, concentrating on the wolf-like creature in front of him, he could sense it; the wolf’s life force was there, but faint, like a fraying thread on the verge of unraveling.  It wouldn’t survive if they didn’t do something.

Even as Keith brushed the wolf’s consciousness with his own, the wolf’s energy glowed just a little bit brighter, as if it had taken notice of him.  He opened his eyes at the quiet rustle and soft whine, and found the wolf blinking its own heavy eyes open. It looked up at him blearily, and tried to pick up its head but was too weak to lift itself.

“Hey,” Keith softened his voice and gave the wolf a reassuring smile.  He reached for the bit of water they had gathered earlier in what looked like half a coconut, but bigger and bright purple. But the important thing was that it was full of water they had collected from a cool, clear stream, that had proven to be safe to drink.  Keith set the purple-coconut-husk on the ground beside the creature. “Here, drink some water.”

The wolf lifted its head a little and sniffed at the water.  A few moments later, a long, purplish-blue tongue poked out from between sharp, silver teeth, and the wolf lapped at the water.  When it had drank its fill -- or just as likely, when it was too weak to continue -- the wolf flopped on the ground again with a shuddering breath and a quiet whimper.  

Keith took a moment to study the wolf.  He was thinking of it as a “wolf”, but really, it was unlike any wolf he had ever seen; really only the same in general shape.  Deep, midnight-blue fur covered its body, thick and shimmering in the sunlight like each strand was bathed in a slight iridescence.  Lighter blue markings covered most of its head and a V at its chest, while bright teal markings decorated around the eyes, along the backs of the pointed ears, a streak along the back of the legs, and a couple more twisting streaks across its flanks.  The fur along its back was steel-blue and much longer and thicker, vaguely reminiscent of a hyena, and ran all the way down to an enormously fluffy tail. With the creature lying on its side like this, Keith risked a glance at its lower belly and… yep, if it was anything like canine species on Earth, this was a male.  He brought his gaze back to the cosmic wolf’s face and found its yellow eyes open, but its dark teal pupils were vacant and unfocused, as if the creature was too exhausted to look at anything.

Keith was about to propose they go hunting in search of something to feed the poor creature, but Krolia cut off his thoughts by shifting her body into a defensive position and pointing her gun at the edge of the clearing.  Not a moment later, a huge, monstrous creature burst through the trees. It had four pointed legs like those of a crab and giant, mandible-like pincers, along with four eyes and a mouth full of sharp teeth. Keith sprang to his feet and drew his knife as two more appears at the edge of the clearing as well.  To his surprise, the wolf pushed itself up to his feet with what looked like a great amount of effort, swaying where he stood. He wouldn’t last a moment in this fight.

“Don’t worry,” Keith told him.  “We’ll protect you.” With that, he charged at one of the crab-like creatures, Krolia shooting at the other two.  

The creatures put up considerable fight, but Keith and Krolia look them down with little trouble.  At the end of it all, Keith looked up over the body of one of the creatures and found the wolf sitting in the center of the crater and watching him with a look of awe and admiration.  How such a canine face could look so humanly expressive, Keith didn’t know.

A sickening crunch echoed through the clearing and Keith looked over to find Krolia had ripped off the legs of one of the dead creatures and was examining the pale pink meat inside with a critical eye.  The wolf perked up instantly and turned his attention on her hands, watching attentively as she lifted her handheld device and held it over the meat. It beeped, and she nodded to herself and clipped it to her hip once more.  “We should be able to eat this meat. I’d suggest cooking it first, though, just to be safe.”

Keith nodded and looked around.  “Alright, let’s gather up as much as we can and find somewhere to set up camp.  There’s plenty of wood, I should be able to get a fire going pretty easily.”

While he was cracking the leg off the other creature, Keith felt something soft and warm lean up against his side with a small whine.  He looked down and found the cosmic wolf there, gazing up at the exoskeleton-covered meat in his hand imploringly.

Keith looked back at Krolia.  “Do you think he can eat this raw?”  

Krolia glanced between her handheld and the wolf, frowning.  “I have no idea. I have no record of what his species is or what compounds it can digest.”  

Keith sank to his knees and petted the wolf’s head.  “Can you wait a little while until we get this cooked?  I don’t want to make you sick…”

The wolf sighed and sat down, seeming to understand him.  Keith scratched between his ears in thanks.

They worked quickly to strip the creatures of all the meat they could, Krolia even skinning a carapace into a makeshift platter to carry it all in.  After walking a bit of distance, they found an outcropping rocks that they could use to shelter a campfire from the wind, and set down there. Keith gathered up what tinder he could find in the area and started trying to light it while Krolia hunted around for larger logs to feed the fire later.  The cosmic wolf watched them as they worked, curled up off to the side where he would be out of the way. The water before seemed to have energized him a little bit, but he was still weak and exhausted.

As soon as Keith had the first batch of meat cooked, he brought a sizable chunk over to the cosmic wolf, who sat up attentively at the sight of the food.  He sniffed the proffered meat, then gobbled it down in one bite.

“You’re really hungry, huh?”  Keith smiled fondly. “Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty more where that came from.”  

The crab-like monsters had turned out to be a blessing in disguise, giving them all the food they could eat and more.  Keith and Krolia talked about what they could do with the leftover meat, but without salt or any way to preserve it and with nowhere cool to store it, there wasn’t much that could be done.  They ate as much as they could, ensured that the cosmic wolf had eaten his fill, and regretfully buried the rest of the meat, not wanting to risk getting food poisoning without properly storing it.  

“We should move on.”  Krolia eyed the darkening sky.  “We’ll need to find decent shelter before nighttime.”

Keith nodded in agreement as he finished spreading dirt over the remains of their fire.  He turned to the cosmic wolf, who was watching him, and knelt down to pet a hand through his fur.           

“So, uh… I don’t know how much you saw, because you were… falling from space…” Keith cleared his throat awkwardly, while the space wolf just cocked his head at him.  “But this is basically a giant whale -- ah, you probably don’t know what a whale is -- that seems to be flying through space, but there’s this whole ecosystem on it’s back, it’s really cool.”  Keith smiled faintly, looking around them. The wolf seemed to only have eyes for him, though, not even interested in the trees or the insects fluttering in the warm air. Keith sighed. “Well, anyway, it’s a pretty neat place, and I think you’ll be okay.  There’s plenty of creatures for you to hunt, that’s what we’ve been doing. Maybe we’ll come across you again at some point.” He got to his feet and gave the wolf a smile and a little wave. “See you around.”

Keith hadn’t gotten more than ten paces before a flash of light startled him to a halt and he balked as the cosmic wolf appeared in front of him.  

“You--!  Wait, how did you…?”  Keith looked behind him where he was _sure_ he left the wolf, and then back to in front of him where the wolf currently was.  

Krolia paused up ahead and turned around.  “Everything alright?”

“He just--” Keith’s words were cut off when the wolf vanished in a flash of light and reappeared at Krolia’s side, wagging his tail and eyeing the purple-coconut full of water she was carrying.  Keith gesticulated, words feeling inadequate. “... _that_.”  

“He can teleport.”  Krolia sounded awed as she knelt down and offered him some water.  “A fascinating ability…”

The cosmic wolf lapped up a few sips of water, then looked around like he had only just noticed Keith was still about twenty feet back.  In another flash of light, he teleported back to Keith’s side to nose and head-butt at his legs until Keith went where he pushed, closer to Krolia.  Like a sheepdog keeping his herd together, Keith thought wryly.

“Maybe we should let him stick around with us.”  Keith said, watching the cosmic wolf go back to drinking as if he hadn’t just interrupted himself to pull a border-collie on his rescuers.  “He seems to like us.”

Krolia considered it.  “He’ll be another mouth to feed.  But perhaps he can help us hunt.”

“And he’ll probably be lonely on his own.”  Keith added. “Can we keep him around?” Belatedly, he realized just how… domestic, their exchange was.  A kid asking his mom if they could keep a stray dog they found was a trope he had only seen in movies, never one that he imagined could happen to him in real life.  Granted, he wasn’t a kid, and he still had a hard time thinking of the woman in front of him as his mother, and the creature was a cosmic space wolf born from a meteor instead of a dog.  But there were enough parallels to make him want to laugh at the irony of the situation.

Krolia arched an eyebrow, regarding him evenly for a moment, then sighed and lifted a shoulder in a shrug.  “I suppose there’s no harm in letting him stick around.”

The three of them kept walking until they came across a dome-like outcropping of the space-whale’s barnacle-like hide that had created a little natural shelter.  It was nearly dark, so they decided it was good enough, and Keith built another fire to keep them warm while Krolia used some logs and enormous leaf fronds to fortify the roof of their shelter.     

That night, Krolia told Keith he could sleep first while she stayed up a bit to tend the fire.  When Keith stretched out on the ground to sleep, he was alone, but when he woke to switch with Krolia, he found the cosmic wolf curled up into a fluffy ball tucked up against his back.  He did his best not to disturb the creature as he moved closer to the fire to set a couple more logs in, but the wolf eventually woke up. To Keith’s surprise, he picked himself up, crossed the hut, and curled up again with his shoulder and back pressed to Keith’s hip, closing his eyes with a sigh.  Keith reached down and pet along his back, and the cosmic wolf snuggled a little closer happily.

~~~~~~~

They ended up keeping the structure they had found, rather than hunting for better shelter in the morning.  They spent the morning outfitting the space-whale’s barnacle into a proper little hut, gathering water, foraging, and fishing.  The cosmic wolf followed them -- or more specifically, Keith -- like a shadow. Though he stuck mostly to Keith, whenever the two of them went their separate ways to divide their tasks, he would teleport between them to make sure they were both alright.  He proved to be a good helper with foraging; they only had to show the edible berries to him and let him sniff them, and he would hunt around until he found a patch of them for Keith or Krolia to gather. He was… not so helpful with fishing, though, as Keith discovered when he strung up a line of three caught fish and turned away to catch more, only to turn back and find two of them missing and a fin caught in the fur around the wolf’s snout.  

Through their time together, Keith found that the cosmic wolf really liked to be pet, just like a dog.  He also grew rapidly, and soon went from the size of a german shepherd puppy to a full-grown dog. Still, he managed to retain that puppy-ish charm and was always eager to play or wrestle with Keith, and whenever they weren’t hard at work hunting or foraging, he was always rubbing against Keith’s leg and asking for pets.  

“Who’s a good space wolf?  The best space wolf in the galaxy… yes, you are…” Keith cooed as he scratched behind the wolf’s ears.  The fur over the wolf’s brow shifted, almost like he was arching an eyebrow, as he tilted his head to the side and gave Keith the most bewildered look Keith had ever seen on an animal’s face.  

“Why are you talking to him like that?”  Krolia asked, confused.

“I don’t know, that’s how people talk to dogs.”  Keith looked up and shifted his scratches lower under the ears.  

“He isn’t a dog, Keith.”  Krolia said patiently, with a tone not unlike one that would be used to explain a simple concept to a young child.

“No, he’s more of a wolf, I guess.”  Keith mused, looking down at the creature’s paws.  He was still on the small size for a wolf, no bigger than a German Shepherd, but from looking at the massive, strong paws, Keith could tell that he was going to grow much larger.  He might even turn out to be bigger than a wolf.

“No, that’s not…” Krolia pinched the bridge of her nose.  “He’s a creature born of quintessence; he has sentience, consciousness, and self-awareness, and is little different from you or I in terms of cognizance.  Would you treat another human like that?”

Keith paused.  “Wait… he can understand me?”

“Perfectly.”  Krolia nodded.  

The realization hit Keith and his eyes widened, face glowing nearly as red as the wolf’s was blue.  “I am so sorry…” he whispered to the wolf in a low, grave tone.

The wolf seemed to snort a little, then got up and licked up the side of Keith’s head, nosing at him with enough force to knock him backwards.

Krolia chuckled.  “I think he forgives you.”

Keith shot her a look from where he was fending off licks to his face while on his back on the dirt.  “Yeah, by the way, ‘other humans’ don’t lick people.”

“Well, he is not a human.”  Krolia sat cross-legged across the fire from her son.  “But you must remember, neither am I. Different alien species have different ways of showing affection and communicating.”  

Keith considered her words as he sat up and kept scratching behind the wolf’s ears.  Regardless of his level of understanding, he seemed to like that as much as any dog would (though Keith had to admit, he liked the feeling of fingers running through his hair, so it probably wasn’t that different).  “So, can he understand us? When we speak?” He asked, glancing at his mother again.

She hummed thoughtfully.  “Why don’t you ask him?”

Feeling a little silly -- although he wasn’t sure if that was because he hadn’t thought to ask the wolf directly, or because he was talking to, well, a _wolf_ \-- Keith shifted a little to look the wolf properly in the eyes.  The wolf tilted its head, regarding him evenly.

Keith started off easy.  “Can you understand me?”

The wolf slowly blinked, then dipped his head in what could be called a nod.  It might be a coincidence, but it _seemed_ like he had understood.

Keith’s brow furrowed as he thought about it.  “But… you haven’t spoken at all. Can you speak?  Or just understand?”

The wolf didn’t move from his place sitting on his haunches in front of Keith, but Keith suddenly felt as if the creature had jumped on him, a strange weight pressing down against his mind.  He gasped, almost recoiling at the intensity of it… were they being attacked? But just as quickly as the worry entered his mind, something soothing pressed against his thoughts, echoing calmness and a will to understand and be understood.  Keith’s eyes widened as he stared at the wolf, sitting calmly in front of him. “Is that… you?” He breathed, stunned.

The wolf got to his feet and stepped closer, resting his great, fluffy forehead against Keith’s, and the feeling that pressed against his mind was full of affirmation.  There weren’t words, exactly, but rather he got flashes of feelings, sensations, sounds, scents, colors, light… It was all vivid enough that words might have even been redundant.  It was a nebulous sort of communication; expansive and intangible, yet full of energy and enough gravity to be understood clearly, even without the use of words.

Keith closed his eyes and buried his hands in the wolf’s thick pelt, letting the images and feelings wash over him until the wolf was done sharing his story.  He really had come from a meteor, life breathed into him by the quintessence-thick abyss and hammered and shaped by the heat and friction of falling to the ground.  He had been weak and hungry and surely would have died, had Keith and Krolia not come along. Keith felt the wolf’s overwhelming gratitude toward them, and desire to stay close to them to protect them as they had protected him in his time of need.  There was something else there too, a deeply-rooted sense of something like attraction, but the wolf pulled back and drew his thoughts back to himself before Keith could get a proper sense of it.

The wolf sat back on his haunches and let out a huff, as if to say he was finished “speaking”.

“Wow…” Keith didn’t know what to say.  “That was… amazing.” He had never experienced anything quite like that, before.  The sensations were back, milder this time, and with a soft, probing edge to them filled with a sense of question; was there anything else Keith wanted to ask?  

Keith thought about it.  “Do you… do you have a name?”  He felt guilty, continuing to call this creature just “the wolf”.  Surely, he had something he would like to be called by.

The wolf cocked his head and sent another questioning thought, the flavor just slightly different.  He seemed to not know what a name was.

“What should we call you?”  Keith tried again. “Like, I am Keith, and she is Krolia.  Those are our names. That’s what we call each other. What should we call you?”

The wolf considered his words, then sent the feeling of absence tinged with an edge of sadness; he didn’t have any such thing.  

Keith nodded slowly.  “Do you want a name? We can come up with one together.”  

The wolf’s tail thumped against the ground and he straightened up as excitement radiated from his thoughts like sunshine.  

“Alright, let’s think.”  Keith leaned back on his hands and studied the wolf.  The strands of dark blue fur had a slightly iridescent sheen to them in the light, almost like stars littering the night sky.  “Midnight?” He suggested.

The wolf tilted his head, his thoughts mildly confused.  He had lived his whole life in the quantum abyss, a place where time didn’t adhere to the laws of physics, and here days and nights were unpredictable.  He hadn’t the faintest idea what the concept of a “mid-night” was.

Keith moved on.  “Meteor? Or Teo, for short?”  Too on-the-nose, considering where he had come from.  “Comet? No, that sounds too much like Santa’s reindeer…” Keith rested his chin in his hand, choosing to ignore the bemused looks he was getting from both Krolia and the wolf; he didn’t feel like explaining Santa Claus or flying reindeer to them.  “Cosmic… Cosmo…”

The wolf laid down and rested his chin on his forelegs with a sigh, thoughts tinged with dissatisfaction.  

“Sky… Nebula… Orion… Andromeda… Cassiopeia or Cass… Dipper…”  No matter what Keith tried, though, the wolf remained disinterested.  “Mercury… Altair… Vega… Laika… Solar...”

“How are any of these more strange than Yorak was?”  Krolia muttered to herself across the fire.

“Yorak?”  Keith suggested.  The wolf snorted quietly and Krolia wrinkled her nose in what looked like scandalized surprise.  Keith wondered if she had tried to name him after some favorite dead relative and he had accidentally insulted her by offering to name the wolf that.  “Okay, not Yorak…” he kept thinking.

Keith ran through a few other planetary, constellation, and astrophysical phenomena-based names, but it wasn’t until he got to “Nova” that the wolf picked up his head.  Keith looked at him. “Nova? You like that one?”

The wolf sat up, ears perked and tail wagging.  From the bright energy of his thoughts, it seemed he did.    

“Alright, Nova it is.”  Keith smiled. The wolf sprang to his feet and vanished in a flash of light, teleporting three feet forward to knock Keith down onto his back and lick at his cheek.  Keith laughed. An explosion in a white dwarf, creating a blindingly bright, new star… it was an oddly suitable name for this brilliant, strange cosmic wolf who had fallen to them from the sky.  

~~~~~~~

In a place where time was literally collapsing and reforging itself constantly, it was hard to keep track of.  Things like “days” and “nights” were unreliable; they passed by suns and moons with little regularity, and the flares of bright light that brought visions of the past and future swept over them at any hour of the day.  Krolia used her handheld device to keep track of the vargas, and they scratched the accumulation of their quintants on a wooden beam supporting their hut. In watching her do so, Keith learned how Galra traditionally structured their time slices, noting that it was a bit different than the twenty-four hours that humans used.  It made him think back on a time at the Garrison when Shiro, countless cups of coffee into his dissertation and running on far less sleep than he insisted Keith himself get, had muttered something about “time is a construct of human cultural illusion...” shortly before passing out over his books. At that moment, Keith had thought his words to be the ravings of an overworked grad student in the throes of sleep-deprivation, but he now realized maybe there was something to it.  Humans, Galra, Alteans, cosmic wolves… they all kept track of time differently. And out here, in a land as lawless to time and physics as the wild west, things became even more muddled. Time passed here, but it also didn’t, making it very confusing to keep track of. But, maybe things like how time was counted didn’t really matter quite as much as he thought they had.

Still, the one indication that time was, in fact, actually passing, was their growth.  In the months they had been there, Keith noticed Nova was growing larger. Much larger.  The cosmic wolf had grown from the size of a puppy to a large dog to the size of an actual wolf, perhaps even a bit larger.  He could leap on top of their hut with ease, stand up and put his paws on Keith’s shoulders (and later, even knock him down just by doing that, if he managed to take Keith by surprise), and gained the ability to teleport further and with greater pinpoint accuracy.  As a puppy, he had most often slept curled up in a small ball of warmth at the base of Keith’s back. Now, he could practically spoon Keith if he wanted to, though he usually preferred to stay curled up behind Keith with his nose tucked under his own tail. He was big enough that whenever Nova laid on top of him, Keith ran the risk of suffocating under about a hundred pounds of muscle and thick, floofy fur.  It was somewhat like having a dog, and yet at the same time, oddly not; Nova refused to fetch sticks, his thoughts colored with disdain for the activity, but he would gladly splash in the stream on days when their cosmic whale brought them close enough to a sun to give them an unusually warm atmosphere. He loved to wrestle, and his body language much echoed that of a dog or a wolf when he did so. He trotted alongside Keith when he went to gather berries and nuts, but would just as quickly teleport away to do his own thing, sometimes with only a hasty thought sent Keith’s way promising to be back.  He liked cuddling and belly-rubs like a dog would, but his temper could be quick to change and he would instantly let Keith know if he was done.

Nova seemed to show a special affinity for Keith, but Keith sometimes caught glimpses of him lounging beside Krolia or letting her pet him while Keith was out.  The wolf sometimes joined them on hunts, but other times he went his own way and brought back a kill of his own, dropping it in front of the two of them like a proud cat bringing a mouse home for her kittens.  They spoke to him as an equal, and he responded in kind with his unique method of communication. He was less a pet and more a member of their little community, who just so happened to like getting his ears scratched.  

It wasn’t just Nova who was getting bigger, either.  Keith didn’t realize it, until Krolia paused to watch him as he methodically sliced up the fish they had caught at the river earlier, herself with the carcass of a small, deer-like creature slung over her shoulders.  

“You’ve grown.”  Krolia commented.  

Keith looked up at Nova, who was sitting nearby and eyeing up the fish-head like he was waiting for Keith to chop it off and give it to him.  “He’s a lot bigger than he was, yeah.” Keith agreed. The wolf was huge now, probably tall enough to stand up and put his paws on even Krolia’s shoulders.  

“He has as well, but I was talking about you.”  Krolia said, settling the deer-like creature on the ground and taking out a knife she had fashioned from a previous kill’s bone.  

Keith blinked and looked down at himself, surprised.  “You think?” His armor did fit a bit differently, now.  Wilderness survival was a lot of hard work, and it showed in his muscles and what little fat distribution he had.  He might even be a bit taller, now that he thought about it.

“A growth spurt does you good.”  Krolia said. “Especially since one of your parents is a bit on the short side…”

“Hey, Dad was pretty tall for a human.”  Keith frowned lightly. He was used to the other Blades assuming he was younger than he was based on his height, and marveling that humans were such small creatures.  Encountering it so often left him a little defensive of his home species.

“I know.”  Krolia flashed a small smile at him.  “I was referring to myself. I’m a few inches shorter than average for a Galra.  Believe me, I know what it’s like to be on the end of short jokes from the rest of the Blades.  In our early days, Kolivan was relentless about it.” She winked. “So don’t get short with me, young man.”

“That,” Keith pulled out the fish’s liver.  “Was a terrible joke.” He made to flick the little organ in her direction, but Nova teleported between them and snapped it out of the air, powerful jaws closing around the morsel with a sharp _clack_.  

Krolia chuckled and tossed a strip of tough meat into the air for Nova to catch as well, making him jump for it.  Keith shook his head fondly and turned back to gutting the fish.

“You look good, Keith.”  Krolia spoke up once more, but also with an air of finality.  Almost as if she wanted to bring the conversation back to genuine after the joking.

Keith felt Nova’s mind brush against his own as the wolf sat down in front of him again, agreement echoing in his thoughts.  There was something else there too… a sort of appreciation and interest that Keith didn’t quite know where he was coming from.  He looked up, curious, but the cosmic wolf’s thoughts changed to a different sort of interest (much more pointed) directed toward the fish in Keith’s hands.  

Keith chuckled softly and tossed the fish-head above Nova, watching as he jumped and twisted in the air to catch it.  

~~~~~~~

Keith had made do with a lot of less-than-ideal situations.  Between growing up far out in the desert with a single parent, finishing his formative years in various orphanages and group homes, and getting used to living aboard an alien castle-ship in the midst of an intergalactic war, Keith was used to getting by without certain comforts.  He, Krolia, and Nova were smart, and good at using their wits and ingenuity to manufacture what they needed for survival. But after a while, he found himself missing certain things; A mattress, or even a thin camping bedroll, would have been nice on the dirt floor of their hut. A water bottle, or something more sustainable than the thick leaves they fashioned into cups, that always left their water tasting a little bitter.  Salt, or something to season their meat with (or, in a dream world, enough to cure their meat to last longer, so they didn’t have to hunt as often).

Walls, for even a modicum of privacy.  

Keith didn’t mind the small space of their hut.  It made it easier to heat it, whenever their cosmic whale ventured further from the suns and stars and left the air of its environment cooler.  They didn’t have many possessions to store, so it wasn’t like they needed a lot of room. But still, a small section of enclosed space to call his own would have been nice, especially as the weeks and months dragged on and Keith started to feel a certain sort of restless.  It was, to put it bluntly, impossible to get any sort of _alone time_ around there, despite the remoteness of their environment.  Even the times when Krolia went out on her own for scouting or hunting or gathering, Nova usually stayed behind, and Keith wasn’t about to jerk himself off with the cosmic wolf around.  It would have been awkward enough if he had been an actual dog, but Nova was more like a third roommate, which made it even more awkward. So Keith grit his teeth, bottled up his frustration, and brushed off the wolf’s curious thoughts that he probed towards his mind.  

“I’m fine, Nova.”  Keith crossed his arms and glared at the fire burning lowly in the center of their hut.  Krolia was out hunting, and Keith was left in charge of tending their fire to make sure it stayed lit so they could cook the meat right away.  

Nova leaned against him and nuzzled his shoulder, thoughts tinged with doubt over what Keith was saying and concern over what he wasn’t.  

“I don’t--” Keith cut himself off and sighed.  “No. I’m not going to talk about it.”

Nova let out a huff and prodded at him.  Keith waved a hand but realized the push was a mental one rather than physical.  Sometimes it was hard to tell, depending on the wolf’s persistence.

“Because it’s…” _awkward_ .  “It’s dumb.  Not essential to survival.”   _People can live without sex, right?  People do it all the time_.  Keith poked at the fire with a stick.  “Just forget about it. I’m fine.”

Nova let out a sigh and flopped down to lay his head in Keith’s lap, the weight warm and heavy on his thigh.  Keith reached down and scratched behind his ears, secretly glad for the contact. It was easy to become starved for touch out here, he had realized.  He wasn’t close enough to Krolia to feel like he could ask for something like a hug or some platonic cuddling. They just didn’t have that kind of relationship.  They were closer now, but a nearly two-decade gap was a hard thing to close. And she was his mother; any relationship between them would be familial at best. The most he could hope for was a few minutes to himself to rub one out on his own, but he didn’t want to chance her walking in on him -- _that_ was a situation he _did not_ want to deal with, not when they were this isolated and he would have nowhere to hide -- and anyway, Nova seldom left him alone.  So even jerking off was out of the question.

As Krolia returned to the hut, Keith thrust his poking stick into the flames, sending a flurry of sparks rising up with the smoke.  Bottling it all up was beginning to darken his mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> REALLY DUMB BONUS:  
> Krolia, seeing that Nova is laying on top of Keith and refusing to get up and move: "he's not going anywhere."  
> Keith, who grew up in the American southwest: "Ha, Nova no va." 
> 
> ((Based on the appearance of the desert where Keith's shack and the Garrison are, I'm betting he's from Arizona, probably somewhere in Coconino County (tell me that desert doesn't look like Sedona). And you'd be hard pressed to grow up there and not pick up at least a little Spanish, even basic. Hence, the very dumb "Nova no va" (Nova isn't going) joke.))
> 
> If you somehow made it this far without noticing the rating/tags, just an FYI, there is space-wolf fucking in the next chapter. Like that’s pretty much all that chapter is, just 8K of Keith and Nova getting it on. Just a fair warning. This chapter was just to set up the premise that Nova is very clearly not only _sentient_ (able to feel emotions) but also _sapient_ (able to think and reason, and important for this fic, _able to consent_ ). And because I can’t porn without some plot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, Nova is sapient in this. I don't condone the fucking of actual, non-cosmic wolves/animals. This is a work of fiction.
> 
> There’s a bit of joking about Alpha, Beta, and Omega towards the end, but it’s not fanfiction-typical A/B/O dynamic related at all. It’s more a joke based on the pack dynamics of actual wolves, though more flexible, and also not very serious. This fic is a lot of things, but A/B/O isn’t one of them.

Keith woke later that night to the sound of Krolia moving around the dark hut.  “Wha… ‘s there something wrong?” He pushed himself up and reached for his knife.  Were they being attacked? 

“No, nothing’s wrong.”  Krolia rested a hand on his shoulder.  “I’m just going out. I’ll be back in a couple of vargas.  You can go back to sleep.” 

“Where’re you going?”  Keith yawned, confused.  

“The springs.”  Krolia replied, not meeting his eyes.  He knew she meant the hot springs a couple miles away.  The ones they used for bathing. 

Keith blinked sleep out of his eyes, brain still catching up.  “It’s the middle of the night.” She wanted to take a bath in the middle of the night?

“There are no rules prohibiting bathing at any specific hours.”  Krolia pointed out, unusually curt. Keith couldn’t argue with that, but the hot springs were far enough away that they usually only made the journey during the day, when it was safer.  There were few other apex predators out here, but those that were usually hunted when it was dark. As if thinking the same thing, Krolia picked up one of their spears before leaving. “I’ll be back in a few vargas.”  She repeated. 

“Okay.”  Keith was still a little confused, but didn’t press the issue.  As she left, Nova picked up his head and watched her go. Sleep pulled at Keith once more, and he laid down again with a yawn.  

He was just drifting off again when he felt Nova get to his feet, the wall of warmth disappearing from where he had been sleeping curled up against Keith’s back.  He grumbled a little at the sudden coldness, but didn’t bother turning over to see what the wolf was up to. In the still silence of the night, he heard the quiet tap of claw-tipped paws against the hard-packed dirt floor as Nova went over to the open door of the hut and sat looking outside for a few minutes.  

Keith was nearly asleep again when he felt a curious snout prod at the back of his neck, warm breath ruffling his hair.  Keith figured the wolf would settle down, but then he felt a paw step over him and plant itself on his other side, then another, until Nova was standing over him and sniffing at his throat.  

When Nova butted his head into Keith’s shoulder and rolled him onto his back, Keith groaned and peeled his eyes open.  “Nova, it’s the middle of the night… we can play in the morning…” 

Nova’s thoughts pressed against his mind as he stared him down.  Determination, interest, desire…

Wait.  What?

Keith pushed himself up onto his elbows.  Surely, he had to be misunderstanding the cosmic wolf.  It seemed almost like he wanted to…

Keith let out a startled grunt as Nova broke the stare to lean down and nose at his midsection.  “Wh-what? Nova! What are you…” He shifted back, trying to get out of the wolf’s reach before he could accidentally have an awkward reaction, but Nova let out a low growl and planted a paw on his stomach, pinning him down.  

Keith looked at him, eyes wide.  “What are you doing?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.  

Nova met his stare with one of his own, yellow and teal eyes knowing.  He sent a series of images to Keith, the first being the memory of the two of them in front of the fire, Keith brooding and frustrated.  The next image was of Keith on his back under the wolf, head thrown back in ecstasy -- that Keith could even  _ feel _ faintly through his mind -- and Nova’s head buried between Keith’s legs, the whole vision radiating desire and a sense of mutual aid to ease the frustration of before.

Keith felt his stomach flip and he sucked in a sharp breath.  “You… you heard my thoughts, earlier?” At Nova’s nod, Keith was confused.  “But I didn’t say anything, or think  _ at  _ you...”  

Nova gave him a flat look and pushed the memory back at Keith, who realized that while he hadn’t been directing his thoughts at the wolf, he also hadn’t taken particular care to  _ hide  _ them either, and had basically broadcast his feelings loud and clear.  Coupled with his body language and the fact that Nova could scent his sexual frustration a mile away, it hadn’t been hard to figure out.  Keith realized with horror that  _ Krolia  _ could have probably even picked up on it, given their proximity.

Nova pulled his thoughts back to the present by standing over him and licking at his cheek and jaw, placing a paw on his chest to press him down to his back again.  

“No, Nova, we can’t--” Keith tried to push him away, but he really didn’t want to.  “Krolia could be back any minute…”

Nova tossed a dismissive thought between them, reassuring him that Krolia was far away and likely wouldn’t be returning any time soon.  Keith blushed as he realized the wolf had picked up on a similar sort of frustration hanging over her, and she was probably off dealing with it on her own right now.  

Keith stalled the wolf by pushing his fingers through the thick fur behind his ears and at the back of his neck, his own thoughts racing.  Was this wrong? Nova  _ looked _ like a wolf, after all, but he was hardly more an animal than Keith… 

Nova let out a huff, his thoughts colored with a touch of offense at the comparison, and Keith realized he would have to be more careful about his own thoughts.  

“I know…” Keith said, scratching behind the wolf’s ears.  “But there’s also… I don’t want to make things weird. It… it would be really hard, if this changed things between us and you left on bad terms because of this.”  He was already so lonely out here, with only two other beings to see and communicate with. He didn’t know how he would handle one of them leaving him. 

Nova’s thoughts came at Keith in waves, too complex to be fit into one emotion.  Mild offense that Keith thought he would leave. Reassurance that he wouldn’t. Curiosity and bewilderment that humans viewed sex in such complicated terms.  Desire to simply help each other out, and of course it wouldn’t damage their friendship. Attraction, plain and strong. Quiet uncertainty, as if he wondered if Keith found him attractive as well.  

Keith smiled.  “Of course.” He leaned up and hugged his arms around Nova’s neck, rubbing his cheek against the softer, fluffier fur along the side of his head.  

Nova’s thoughts turned bright and sunny with relief, and he licked at Keith’s check and jaw so insistently that he knocked him down onto his back, Keith going willingly with a surprised bark of laughter at his eagerness.  Pretty soon, though, Nova’s thoughts shifted, bright energy dimming to a low, strong glow of desire and lust as he lapped at the underside of Keith’s jaw and down his throat. Keith’s breath left him in a rush and his eyes fluttered closed, a groan building up in his chest at the strange sensation of a long, flat, slightly roughened tongue laving over his skin.  Nova had certainly licked him before -- it was a pretty common way for him to show affection -- but never like this; with his mind bearing down on Keith’s, burning and heavy with flashes of images of what else he wanted to do to Keith, all the ways he wanted to get him bare and writhing under him. And it had been… a  _ really _ long time, since Keith had indulged in anything remotely intimate.  It left him with a hunger licking at his bones like flames, a fire that Nova was only too willing to fan.  

When Nova nosed at the neck of Keith’s suit and took the fabric between his teeth, paw digging insistently at the armor covering his chest, though, Keith gently pushed him off.  “Hey, no. This is the only thing I have to wear, I don’t want to ruin it.” 

Nova huffed and tossed him a bland look.  He didn’t see the point to wearing clothes anyway.  

“Well, for one thing, it’s armor, so that’s useful.”  Keith told him, scooting back enough to sit up and unclasp the chestplate and set it aside before reaching for the zipper at the front of his neck.  “And I don’t have fur to protect me from predators or the cold. So, clothes.” 

Nova snorted and rolled his eyes, a remarkably human gesture.  As soon as Keith had the suit unzipped to his hips, the wolf pounced on him again and started nosing the open front pieces of the suit to push it away from Keith’s chest.  

“Hey, hey, don’t rip it…” Keith admonished, gently but firmly pushing the cosmic wolf’s head away enough to pull his arms through the sleeves.  

Nova tossed him a feeling of acknowledgement bristling with eager impatience.  He wanted the suit  _ off _ , and he wanted it  _ now _ , but if it would make his partner happy, then fine, he would leave it intact.  The moment Keith’s arms were free, though, Nova planted a paw on his chest and pushed him down to his back so he could lean down and lick at his chest.  

Keith bit off an aborted curse as a hot, wet tongue lapped over his nipple.  The paw pressed right into his breastbone, four claws dangerously close to pricking his skin.  Unlike a dog or an actual wolf, whose claws would be worn down naturally, Nova’s claws were made of the same nearly-indestructible meteorite he had been born from, so they remained sharp and gleaming black at all times.  His teeth, which glinted light silver instead of dull white, were similarly sharp, and Keith’s heart pounded frantically in his chest as those teeth scraped lightly over his skin, teasing at a nipple while he licked. Nova soothed his mind with a thought, reassuring him that he wouldn’t harm him even by accident.  But  _ fuck _ was that rush of adrenaline a high… 

That same spike of adrenaline burned through him as Keith watched Nova work his way down his chest, his stomach -- a light dig of his paw, and heat flooded him at the realization that Nova could gut him with only a swipe of those powerful paws -- down his abs to where the suit was still zipped just under his navel.  Before Keith could reach down, Nova carefully took the zipper between his teeth and tugged. Keith’s cock sprang up the moment it was free of its confines, and Nova pounced on it like he was hunting prey. Keith slapped a hand over his mouth to muffle a cry as the wolf wrapped his tongue around the length and took him into his mouth with no warning or preamble.  

“S-slower, slower, buddy…” Keith gasped.  “It’s been a long time, gimme a second…” It was good, but it was  _ too much _ after too long without anything like it. 

Nova pulled off, his thoughts bubbling with pride, and instead laid down between Keith’s legs with his forelegs draped over Keith’s hips, showering soft little licks to his pelvis and hips and around the base of his cock.  Keith reached down and dug his fingers into the thick fur on his head, scratching appreciatively, and let his legs fall open a little more to make them both more comfortable. His legs were still trapped in his suit from about the knee down, but the soft fur against his thighs where Nova had his legs draped over him felt incredible.  And the weight of him between his legs, all muscle and strength, somehow made him feel… safe. Wanted. Loved. And god, he loved that feeling, Keith thought as he rubbed behind Nova’s ear while the wolf licked lazily at the base of his cock, coaxing curls of heat to build up between his hips. 

When Keith was ready -- he didn’t even have to  _ tell  _ him, Nova just sensed the shift and acted accordingly -- he rose to his feet and stood over Keith, eyeing him hungrily for a moment before diving down and licking up the length of Keith’s cock.

“Oh,  _ fuck _ …”  Keith let his head fall back with a gasp.  A tendril of concern reached out toward him, but Keith shook his head.  “No, no, I’m fine. Just feels really… really good. Keep going.”

Nova did just that, first giving a cursory lap over the cockhead before winding his tongue around the shaft.  His paws pushed Keith’s thighs further apart, claws brushing so close to his ass that a little thrill of something like the hybrid of fear and arousal shoot straight to his cock.  Keith’s chest heaved, air punched out of it at the realization that those  _ teeth  _ were so, so very close to his dick, close enough to scrape just slightly against him… He had seen the sheer power of those jaws in action, heard the ominous  _ clack  _ as they snapped closed, watched them rip through branches and even bone with ease.  Hot, damp breath blew over his live-wire skin as Nova panted around him. Those razor-sharp teeth pushed oh so dangerously into his thighs, pressure enough to threaten the skin but just shy of enough to break it.  His powerful jaws would be completely able to snap closed around him, and the only thing stopping them was the trust between them. Nova wouldn’t hurt him, Keith was sure of that, but the fact that he  _ could  _ and he  _ didn’t _ brought a heady rush of heat coursing through him, the danger singing electric in his veins.

Nova let out a rumble of agreement around him, the tail end of his thoughts tinged with amusement as Keith choked at the sudden vibration.  He bobbed lower down his cock until it hit the back of his throat and sucked. Keith nearly came at that, only stalling out when Nova lifted off of him and sat back on his haunches between Keith’s knees.  Keith worried for a moment that he had choked or hurt himself, but the wolf’s tongue lolled out languidly and his gold and dark teal eyes were  _ smirking  _ at him.  He was teasing him.  He knew Keith was close, but he was going to make him beg for it.  

“Nova,  _ please _ …” Keith whispered.  It had been so, so long since he had let himself get to this precipice, let alone since he had anyone touch him like this, and he could feel the need like an ache in his bones.  “Please, baby, I need this… I need  _ you… _ come on, please…” 

Nova brightened with a glowing, smug satisfaction.  He turned his head to the side and yawned widely -- though Keith sensed it was more to show off his teeth than it was an action born of tiredness -- and let his long tongue curl in the air languidly before snapping his jaws shut with a sharp  _ clack  _ that shot straight to Keith’s cock.  He then got to his feet, straddled his front paws on either side of Keith’s hips, and leaned down to wrap his tongue around Keith’s cock.  Keith shivered at the contact, especially when the wolf uncurled his tongue to let it run down the length of his cock, easing the rest of it inside that danger-lined mouth.  Nova glanced up and met Keith’s eyes, his own eyes sparkling with mirth. Then he dropped his nose to Keith’s pelvis, taking him to down his throat to the root, and  _ swallowed  _ around him,  _ hard _ .  

Keith came with a shout.  Months of frustration and loneliness ripped out of him and left him seeing stars as a wave of heat crashed over him, the pleasure so intense it threatened to drown him.  Nova let out a pleased rumble as he swallowed down his spend and coaxed the orgasm to keep going, not letting up until Keith was shaking with overstimulation. Even when he pulled off, he didn’t quite stop, instead lying down between his legs again and cleaning him up with soft, gentle laps of his tongue that left the boy under him shivering with every stroke.  

Keith opened his eyes, uncertain when he had closed them.  Muscles both heavy and floaty at the same time, he reached down and pet his fingers through the thick fur of Nova’s head.  He still felt like he had electricity racing under his skin and he was grateful for the reassuring weight on his lap, grounding him to the moment.

“That,” Keith croaked.  “Was incredible.” His voice was completely shot, like… well, like he had just been fucked to his first orgasm in space-god-only-knew-how-many months.      

A puff of hot air ruffled the hair curled at the base of Keith’s softening cock as the wolf snorted quietly before resting his head on Keith’s hip, the weight warm and reassuring.  Keith scratched behind his ears, more satisfied than he had felt in a long time. As he came down from his high, though, he grew more aware that Nova’s thoughts, while not exactly pressing against him in the way they did when he “spoke”, were practically tangible around him, buzzing and bubbling with restless energy.  Keith wondered if this what Nova had sensed from him by the fire, earlier. 

Keith sat upright, and patted the wolf’s back to prompt him with a soft “up.”  Nova pushed himself up to his haunches and tilted his head as he watched Keith scoot away from him, his thoughts laced with puzzlement and curiosity.  But Keith simply moved back enough to strip his suit the rest of the way off his legs and toss it to the side, then knelt in front of the sitting wolf and and scratched that spot under his ears he knew he liked.  

“Your turn.”  Keith told him.  Nova’s thoughts brightened immediately and his tail started thumping against the ground.  Keith smiled. “What do you want to do?” He could try blowing him in return, but he would probably need Nova to lie on his back to reach his cock, given their difference in body type and shape.  

Nova dismissed that image and instead started pushing and nosing at Keith until he had him where he wanted him: on his hands and knees, with Nova behind him.  He stepped forward, straddling Keith, and the position made Keith acutely aware of just how  _ huge  _ the cosmic wolf was; Nova would have dwarfed a regular wolf in the same way that wolves dwarfed domesticated dogs, even the big breeds.  

A tongue darted out and licked at the sweat gathered at the back of Keith’s neck as Nova stood completely over him.  Soft fur slipped against his back, and a thrill went through him as Keith felt something hard, wet, and hot rub against his ass.  A heavy paw planted itself in the center of his back and Keith went with it down to his elbows, the motion pushing his backside up more prominently.       

“Doggy style, huh?”  Keith chuckled breathlessly.  

Nova growled and lifted a paw to swat him lightly upside the head for that, but his thoughts were playful.  He shuffled a bit, trying to line his cock up, and Keith froze as a tendril of panic threaded through the haze.  “Wait.” Keith said suddenly. “I can’t just… I have to stretch, first.” 

Nova paused but didn’t back up, instead probing confusion at him.  He wasn’t familiar with the concept. 

“You’re big.  Really big.” Keith explained, trying to ignored the way even just saying that made warmth burn in his gut like embers.  “So I have to stretch myself before you get in me.” He gently put a little distance between them while still making it clear that he wasn’t rejecting him.  Upon turning around, he saw that Nova’s cock had emerged from the guard sheath it was usually in, bright teal against black fur and jutting proudly up towards his belly.  A pointed, arrowhead-shaped tip, the shaft thicker in the middle and tapering just under the head and again towards the base, where there rested a huge, heavy-looking knot...

_ Yeah _ , Keith  _ definitely  _ needed to stretch himself before that.   

Nova preened at the praise, but still didn’t see the problem.  He was big, wasn’t that nice?

“Yeah, it is nice,” Keith chuckled as he rose up on his knees.  “But not if you tear me. That would hurt.” 

Nova’s thoughts softened with understanding.  Acquiescence, but still puzzlement. How? 

“I can do it.”  Keith looked down at his fingers.  “I just… need to find something to use as lube…”  He supposed he could  _ try  _ going in dry, but the time he had done that it had hurt and ruined his mood enough that he had just given up and went to sleep grumpy.  Which was not ideal, here. But, looking around the sparse hut, there just wasn’t anything that could pass as lubricant… 

Nova nudged at his shoulder until he turned to face him again, then swooped down and took his fingers in his mouth.  Keith’s eyes widened and he stared at the wolf as he licked voraciously, coating his entire hand with slick spit. An image flashed through his memory; whenever Keith prepared the meat from their hunts for cooking, it was undeniably messy work and his hands usually got covered in blood and sinew, which Nova often offered to lick off, as the resident member of their group able to digest raw meat.  It was a nice little treat for Nova and it served a utilitarian sort of purpose for Keith, so he thought little of it, and over time it became something of a post-hunting ritual. 

After watching Nova lick every inch of his hand with the intent to use his saliva as lube, Keith didn’t think he would be able to do that innocent post-hunting ritual without remembering this moment.  

Nova’s lips pulled back into a sharp-toothed grin.  Either he was thinking the same thing himself, or he had heard Keith’s thoughts.  With one last wet lick, the wolf pulled off his fingers and sat back, cock jutting up eagerly and thoughts ushering Keith to move on.  

Keith eyed the slickness dripping off his fingers.  Not ideal (and probably not sanitary) but it was better than nothing.  “...Thanks.”

Nova straightened up and wagged his tail.  Apparently space wolves didn’t get sarcasm.    

“Okay, now just… give me a minute.”  Keith rose up onto his knees and reached behind himself.  As fingers carefully felt around the edge of his hole, Nova cocked his head, thoughts brimming with interest.  Keith’s breath hitched as he pushed the first finger in, spreading his knees a little more to make it easier. It had been a long time since he had done this.  He hadn’t realized how much he missed the sensation of being filled, and he thrust in and out only a few times before adding a second finger. The stretch was more noticeable now, and he bit his lip and fought back a quiet groan.  

In front of him, Nova tilted his head from side to side, bubbling with questioning feelings and confusion and interest.  He got up and paced, restlessness radiating off of him, then his ears perked up as he spotted something and he teleported over to be behind Keith, intrigue sharpening to a point as he nosed closer to Keith’s hand.  

“Wait.”  Keith told him, belatedly realizing that was the same command people used when presenting a dog with a treat.  He guessed  _ he  _ was the treat, here.  “I need to be stretched, and do you have fingers?  Didn’t think so.” He scissored his fingers inside himself as he spoke.  

Nova huffed, clearly miffed.  He slid down onto his stomach and put his head down to get a better view of what Keith was doing, but he didn’t seem to like the pressure of laying on his own cock.  He sat up again and nudged Keith with his thoughts, sending him an image of Keith bent over on his knees with his ass in the air and his fingers inside himself, the whole vision rimmed with a question.

Keith paused.  “Yeah, that’s another way of doing it…” he admitted slowly.  That was… more vulnerable. Submissive. Like he was presenting himself.  

Nova straightened, ears perked and eyes bright and excited, and his tail wagging so strongly behind him that it shook his whole body.  He  _ really _ liked that idea.  

Keith swallowed and realized that the embarrassed, shameful feeling squirming in his stomach might not be as unappealing as he originally thought.  “O… okay…”

Nova was practically vibrating with excitement as Keith situated himself on his knees.  He tried to salvage what little remaining dignity he had by carefully putting himself perpendicular to the cosmic wolf, but Nova growled and pushed a sense of reprimand at him so strongly that it felt like he’d been jabbed in the side.  Keith froze, staring at him, and Nova stared right back. The very air around the wolf seemed to be charged with energy. Radiating power. A demand. 

Both of them knew that Nova could have just moved a couple of feet to the side if he wanted to give himself a front-row seat to the sight of Keith fingering himself.  But he didn’t want that. He wanted  _ Keith  _ to give it to him.  

Nova tipped his head down while keeping his eyes locked on Keith.  A warning. 

Keith took a deep breath and shifted on his knees until his backside was facing the wolf, ears on fire and something burning in his chest (he thought it was shame, but it trickled down to his cock in a way that felt so  _ good _ …)

Immediately, the air around Nova changed to something much warmer.  Satisfaction. Confidence. Pride. An absurd amount of praise pushing at Keith,  _ about  _ Keith.  Nova prodded at his mind with a very vivid image of what Keith looked like to him, bent over on display with his fingers stretching his ass in preparation  _ for Nova _ , and the whole vision was absolutely drenched in pride and lust.  Keith cringed a little at the sight -- he just wanted to get this part over and move on to the actual fucking -- but Nova shoved it at him with all the insistence of a parent showing off a prized drawing made by their toddler.  For whatever reason, it was apparently very important that Keith see himself the way Nova saw him. 

Keith let his head fall forward with a soft laugh as he added a third finger.  “Is that your way of saying I’m sexy?” 

Nova bubbled with an affirmative.  He kept shifting his paws where he sat, like he was just barely holding himself back from jumping Keith.  

Keith winced slightly as he spread his fingers inside himself, the stretch stinging a little more as the slickness started to dry up.  Spit was really not a very good substitute for lube. 

An image of a long tongue pushing between his cheeks came at him like a tap on the shoulder, brimming with a sense of question.  

“Um, yeah, that might work--” Keith barely got the words out before the wolf was on him, lapping at the place where his fingers disappeared into him.  Ignoring the startled yelp, Nova pushed his tongue in along with Keith’s fingers. Keith had to fight back a moan because  _ fuck _ , if he thought that tongue had felt good around his cock, it was downright sinful inside him.  Keith drew his fingers out of the way, lest they get pricked by the teeth that were pressing dangerously against his rear.  Nova licked at him with the fervor of a starving beast in the desert. His tongue was so  _ long _ , and could reach further than Keith’s fingers, swirling and flicking with a dexterity that was sure to drive him mad if he kept going.  

“O-okay, okay…” Keith would have felt embarrassed by how breathless he sounded, but the not-unwelcome embarrassment of being tongue-fucked by a giant space wolf overshadowed that.  “I think I’m ready.” He looked around himself to catch another glimpse of that huge cock, a jolt of apprehension and arousal shooting through him. God, that  _ knot _ ...  

Nova was brimming with excitement, so much so that Keith figured he would push into him right away.  Instead, he reared back and planted his front paws on the flat table of Keith’s back. Keith blinked, taken aback, but realized what he was getting at when Nova leaned more of his weight on him.  More obvious than that, though, was the sense of command that pressed down on him so thick that it was almost suffocating.  _ Down _ .  

Arms shaking, Keith lowered himself down to his elbows on the ground.  The position left his ass raised high in the air. Pride and praise rolled off Nova in waves, so overwhelming that Keith was tempted to bury his face in his folded arms to try and ignore whatever the hotness was that squirmed (not unpleasantly) in the pit of his stomach.  Paws bracketing his sides again, Nova leaned down and licked at the back of his neck. His thoughts were fond, but Keith got the distinct sense he was being looked down on just a bit. 

...He couldn’t bring himself to be upset by it, though.  

Having sufficiently showered him with praise for presenting himself, Nova backed up enough to nudge his cock between Keith’s cheeks and line himself up.  His front paws dug into the ground below them, shoulders locking tight around Keith’s waist to hold him in place, and back legs straddling Keith’s, his entire body coiled tight with power.  A question probed at Keith’s mind, tentative but also strong enough to feel almost like a physical caress. 

“Yeah, I’m okay.”  Keith assured him. “Just… start slow.”  

Nova nodded and started to push in.  The pointed head parted his cheeks easily.  The stretch from the thickest part of the shaft in the middle ached just enough to be pleasurable, not painful, and the way his hole closed around it once the shaft thinned slightly again was enough to make Keith’s forehead drop down to his folded arms as a groan ripped out of him.  Nova held still for several moments, but Keith could feel his excitement radiating off him just as easily as he could feel hot breath panting against the back of his neck. He could barely contain himself as he waited for Keith’s body to adjust to his girth. 

Keith took a deep breath.  “Alright, you can go, just not too fast at first, okay?”

Nova licked the back of his neck in an affirmation.  His front paws shifted to grip Keith’s waist tightly between his forelegs, paws pressing claw-tips into his belly.  Then, without any warning, Nova pulled back until just the tip of his cock was left inside Keith, and slid back inside again in one fluid, quick motion that punched a gasp out of Keith.  The pace wasn’t more than Keith could handle, but it was obvious that Nova was holding himself back for Keith’s sake. He wanted to go faster, harder; Keith could feel the desire broiling just behind a thin wall of self-restraint as the cosmic wolf kept going.  And, truth be told, Keith wanted it too. 

Once Keith felt he was ready, he reached back and pet along the cosmic wolf’s side.  “Okay, Nova…” 

Nova’s hips stilled for a moment, a question radiating from him.

Keith looked back over his shoulder.  “Yeah. Really fuck me, now.” 

Nova’s eyes lit up and his lips pulled back over silver teeth in a feral grin, and Keith barely had a moment’s warning before the wolf pulled out and then slammed back into him hard enough to push him forward on his elbows a bit.  Keith felt his breath get knocked out of his chest, and he closed his eyes as the force of it pushed the thickness of Nova’s shaft even deeper into him. Nova’s forelegs gripped tight around Keith’s waist, claws threatening at the vulnerable skin in a way that made Keith’s heart beat faster and heat burn in his gut just below the tips of the claws.  

Nova set a quick, almost brutal pace, and Keith was soon burying his face in his folded arms against the ground to muffle himself as moans and cries of pleasure started to spill out of him uncontrollably.  

A growl rumbled -- above him, behind him, all around him -- and Keith gasped as Nova’s thoughts shoved themselves into his mind, weaving through his thoughts and grabbing tight like fingers threading into his hair and yanking his head back.  The cosmic wolf had no fingers, and his paws never left their vice-like grip around his waist, but Keith’s head lifted all the same, and he wasn’t entirely sure it was his own doing. Nova growled again, a low warning, and Keith suddenly understood; he wanted to hear every sound he was making, every admission that  _ Nova  _ was the one giving him this pleasure.  

Keith let out a pitched whine as he let his eyes fall closed.  Something deep inside him wanted to roll over onto his back, bare his belly, and submit to the creature above him, but Nova still had him pinned on his knees, so he just pushed his backside out and spread his knees a little wider for him.  Nova  _ beamed  _ with pride, licking the back of Keith’s neck as he continued thrusting.  But he still had that tight mental grip on his mind, so Keith felt he had no choice but to tip his head back and let every sound -- every gasp, every moan, every whimper -- spill out of him unimpeded, nurtured by Nova’s glowing pride and encouraging licks at his shoulders and the back of his neck.  Keith felt like he was burning up in the best way possible, another orgasm already building and spreading heat through his limbs, his chest, his thoughts... 

Keith reached a hand down, but had barely wrapped his fingers around his own cock when Nova growled sharply and batted his hand away with a thought.  He would come on Nova’s cock and nothing else, that was crystal clear even without words. Keith groaned and dug his nails into the dirt above his head as a shiver ran down his back and up the length of his aching cock, the shaft bobbing with every strong thrust. 

All of a sudden, Nova’s movements stalled and his head whipped around, his ears pricked forward and nostrils flaring.  A sense of warning rolled off of him, sharpened to a point and directed towards the door of the hut. Keith tensed as realization trickled in through the haze.  “What… is something out there?” He asked the wolf. 

Just as quick, though, Nova dismissed the thought and turned back to him.  His mind wrapped reassurance around Keith and he soothed him with licks to the back of his shoulders.  Along with the assurance that everything was fine, there was an underlayer of deep  _ possession _ and claim, but before Keith could ask about it, Nova slammed back into him and knocked most of his cognitive thoughts out of his head.  He was close, he could tell Keith was close, and nothing was going to get in the way of him knotting the eager body under him. 

Keith gasped at the thought, having forgotten about the knot at the base of Nova’s cock.  He could already feel that it had grown, swelling and becoming harder. It didn’t feel like it could fit, but Keith wanted it to.  Some deeply-buried desire in him had been dug up like a lost city, and though he had never imagined it before, Keith suddenly, desperately, wanted that knot inside him, keeping them locked together long after they finished.  He wanted his insides to be soaked with Nova’s cum, hot and thick and deep inside him. He wanted to be fucked, bred,  _ mated _ .  Keith let out a pleading whine and arched his back, pressing his forehead against his folded arms to bare the back of his neck.  Fuck, he wanted to come, he wanted to come so bad, and he was so close… 

Keith’s breath caught in his throat at the careful press of a cold nose to the side of his neck.  Nova licked at the spot where his throat met his shoulder, hot breath panting over the damp skin. The thoughts that caressed his mind were heavy with not just permission, but a command -- as if Nova was telling Keith  _ “come for me.  Let me mate you.” _  Echoing the command was the low rumble as Nova bared his teeth, letting sharp incisors rest against sensitive skin, the ghost of pressure just shy of breaking the skin.  

Keith let out a wordless cry as he came,  _ hard _ , tipped over the edge by the thought of Nova marking him.  Nova let out a pleased growl as Keith tightened around him, the vibrations rumbling through his mouth to Keith’s shoulder and shaking him to his melted core.  Nova didn’t stop -- far from it. He tightened his grip and picked up he speed again, the rush of intensity making Keith choke on a shout. The hard knot pressed more insistently against his hole, and Keith struggled to relax his strung-out muscles enough to let it inside.  With one final, powerful snap of his hips, the knot popped past the tight ring of muscle and Keith let out a strangled cry, his already-spent cock twitching in interest even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to come a third time that night. Nova ground into him, pushing the knot deeper, and panted hot, wet breaths over Keith’s shoulder where his teeth were still resting against the junction of his shoulder and neck.  One final growl from the cosmic wolf above him, and Keith gasped as he felt hot, thick liquid shoot deep inside him, coating his already-oversensitive insides. A broken whine crawled up his throat and he pushed his backside further up, hoping to keep it all inside. Nova let out a sound of approval and began lapping at the backs of his shoulders and his neck, licking up the salty sweat there and paying special attention to where his teeth had left shadowy little indents in his skin (though, thankfully, they had not broken the skin).  His forelegs and paws released their tight grip on Keith’s waist, but the knot lodged inside him kept them tied together.

“That was… incredible.”  Keith panted, feeling beyond words.  Nova glowed with pride above him. Keith chuckled and looked over his shoulder at the bright-eyed wolf, then dropped his gaze to where they were joined.  “How… how long does it last?” 

Nova gave him the mental equivalent of a shrug and the thought that it wouldn’t be long.  He stood a little more fully over Keith once more and continued licking at the man under him, even prompting him to tip his head to the side and let him reach under his chin.  Keith sighed and closed his eyes, feeling warm and content and sated. He liked the steady fullness inside him remaining even after he came, and he really liked all the attention and praise Nova was showering him with.  Every part of him ached -- his knees where they were bearing his weight against the dirt, his arms raised above his head and stretched by the arch of his back, his cock from coming twice in one night, and of course his ass from the thick knot still stretching him -- but it was a welcome, satisfied ache that left him relaxed.  

When the knot softened enough, Nova pulled out and stepped back so that he wasn’t standing directly over Keith.  The soreness in his knees was the only ache Keith could do without, so he shifted away from the cum he had spilled on the ground and laid down, rolling onto his back to give his poor knees a break, and let out a deep, sated sigh.  Nova laid down as well, their position echoing how they had started, with the cosmic wolf stretched out between Keith’s legs with his paws over his hips, head resting on his abdomen. Keith’s fingers immediately found his head and started scratching behind his ears, and the two of them were quiet as they simply enjoyed a moment together.

While they were lying there and basking in the afterglow and the warmth of their bodies, Keith heard the sound of footsteps over leaves and the cracking of twigs as someone approached through the woods.  Nova seemed unbothered -- his left ear flicked briefly towards the sound before righting itself, and he didn’t even pick up his head from where it rested on Keith’s stomach -- but Keith shot up like he had been burned.

“ _ Shit _ .”  Keith swore quietly and tried to scoot out from under the cosmic wolf.  “Nova, come on, get  _ up _ ...:”

Nova let out a grumbling whine and dug his nose into Keith’s stomach, looking very much like a petulant child who didn’t want to wake up for school.

“Let me up, I have to put my suit back on.”  Keith hissed. Nova rolled his eyes, not understanding why Keith needed to cover himself up when Nova went to all the trouble to get him undressed.  

Keith shoved his head off his lap and wiggled out from under the wolf.  “Because Krolia is coming back, and her seeing me naked after  _ sex  _ would be  _ awkward _ , especially because she’s my  _ mother _ .”  Keith snatched up his suit from where it had been tossed earlier and hastily put it on, shooting looks over at the door in case Krolia came back quicker than expected.  He couldn’t see far in the dark, but it seemed like she was crouched beside the river a short distance away, cupping water in her hands to drink. He noticed she was making an awful lot of noise for a spy, considering he knew she could move soundlessly through pretty much any terrain.  

Nova let out a discontent groan and rolled onto his back, thoughts conveying utter disdain as Keith zipped up his suit.  The suit did little to hide the contours of his body anyway, he seemed to grumble. Why not just go naked?

“Look at it this way.”  Keith said. “How would you feel if someone shaved off all your fur?  And then other people  _ saw  _ you?”  

That made Nova pause.  He did not like that idea one bit, and reluctantly admitted that Keith could get dressed. 

Keith chuckled and sat down again.  “Alright, come back here, you big baby…” He barely had time to put his legs on either side of Nova’s body before the wolf flipped himself over and threw himself on top of Keith again, eagerly resuming their snuggling.  He tried to surreptitiously paw at the line of the zipper over Keith’s stomach, but Keith just rolled his eyes and took his paw away before he could scratch the fabric open. Instead, Keith kept him distracted by poking his fingers between the toes of his paw to feel the oddly-soft fur between them, where Nova seemed to be oddly sensitive.

By that time, Krolia was coming closer to the hut (again, making much more noise than she usually did.  Keith wondered it was her away of announcing her approach). She even paused to fiddle with something on the low roof of the hut, then ducked down and glanced around before entering.  “Everything okay?” She asked.

“Yep.”  Keith stared resolutely up at the ceiling and tried to will his cheeks and ears to stop burning.  “We were just… playing. A bit.” He cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject. “How were the springs?”

“Fine.”  Krolia sounded just as evasive as Keith felt.  She settled down on the other side of the dark fire pit and leaned against the wall of he hut.  For several minutes, there was silence, save for the chirp of crickets outside and the rustle of wind through the jungle, and the soft shifting as Nova made himself comfortable on Keith’s lap.  

Krolia spoke up after a few minutes.  “This hut isn’t exactly well-circulated.  Perhaps next time you… ‘play’, you could do it outside.  Just a suggestion.” 

Keith froze as his entire world compressed into a black hole and exploded like a neutron star.  Every curse word he knew could not encompass whatever emotion he was feeling right now. Was he even feeling anything?  His soul might have departed his body, actually. “I… we… Uh…” He stammered helplessly, casting around for an excuse, a cover-up,  _ anything _ he could pass it off as...  

“The sex, Keith.”  Rather than sounding angry, her tone was candid, with a hint of amusement.  “It smells like sex in here.”

“Oh my god, kill me…” Keith covered his face with his hands in complete mortification.  To make it worse, Nova was  _ laughing _ because he didn’t get why Keith was so worked up about this.  “I’m so sorry, we didn’t… we didn’t plan it…”

“People seldom do.”  Krolia pointed out. “Besides, it was obvious that it would only be a matter of time before it happened.  He’s been attached to you since we found him. Plus, you’re next in line. Or, you were.” 

“What does that mean?”  She had tricked him into coming out from his hiding place under his hands.  

Nova lifted his head and sent a rather complicated series of thoughts towards Keith that amounted to Krolia being the Alpha of their pack, so it would be imprudent to pursue her directly.  Plus, he liked Keith. 

“He definitely thought of you as the Beta, before.”  Krolia added. “Now that he’s asserted his dominance over you, though, I suspect you’re the Omega.”    

“Wha…?  Why is  _ she _ the Alpha?”  Keith asked incredulously.  Yeah, Keith deferred to her a lot of times when it came to alien wildlife and reconnaissance, but he knew more about wilderness survival and hunting and she let him take the lead in those areas.  They should be equal, if anything. 

Nova just looked across the hut at Krolia, considering her for a few minutes.  She remained where she was, leaning back against the wall of the hut with her arms crossed, and stared back at him impassively.  He would have called the look ‘challenging’, except that there was a certain effortless confidence that indicated she didn’t even  _ need  _ to challenge anyone here.  Nova turned back to Keith and gave him the mental equivalent of a shrug.  

“Well, both of us were here before you joined us.  So how come  _ I’m _ not the other Alpha? And  _ you’re  _ the Omega?”  Keith asked him. 

Nova gave him a flat look and brought up the memory of Keith presenting his ass in the air and baring the back of his neck submissively while begging for Nova’s cock as the wolf rammed into him with thrusts powerful enough to push Keith forward on his knees.  

“Okay!  Alright!  Stop bringing that up!”  Keith waved his hands frantically as if he could brush the image away like smoke, ears burning with mortification.  Across the hut, Krolia snorted quietly, and Keith  _ really  _ hoped she hadn’t been able to see that particular vision.

“It’s alright, Keith.”  Krolia chuckled. “Everyone needs relief, once in a while.”  

Keith couldn’t help but notice the softness in her tone.  He wondered if that had been why she had suddenly wanted to go to the hot springs in the middle of the night; for a quiet place to find her own relief.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BONUS SCENE:  
> Keith: “we don’t even have Alphas, so how do you even give off an Alpha vibe?”  
> Krolia, completely straight-faced: “I believe it’s what the Earth kids call _'big dick energy'_.”   
>  Keith, mortified: “ _mOM--_ ”
> 
> (And yes, Krolia definitely came back earlier and saw what they were doing, turned on her heel, and decided to go for a lovely moonlit walk far away instead, best not interrupt them… Plus, Nova heard her coming and basically mentally shouted to GTFO, they’re busy) XD   
> ~~speaking of Krolia, does anyone know if it’s actually safe to get off in hot springs? It seems like warm-to-hot water going up certain orifices would kind of hurt/not be safe. There miiiiight be a possible bonus chapter featuring that, if I come up with some more ideas...~~

**Author's Note:**

> I understand you can leave a comment anonymously, so feel free to do so! (^_^) Comments will be moderated -- nice comments will receive a nice reply, whereas hate will be deleted and will disappear into the void, so don't bother~


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